The Saskatchewan Roughriders will get one last test drive on Friday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before they begin the 2023 regular season.
It will be a veteran-laden roster to start the game with an offence featuring Trevor Harris as the team’s starting quarterback.
One player who will try and continue an upward progression towards the regular season is wide receiver Jake Wieneke.
After being limited at the start of training camp, Wieneke feels good heading into the matchup against the Blue Bombers.
“It’s feels good to be back full and get a bunch of reps and running routes and just feeling good about playing again.”
Despite not being 100% to begin camp, chemistry with Harris shouldn’t be an issue for the former Alouettes receiver after the pair were together during the last two seasons in Montreal.
Wieneke thinks the quarterback has found his rhythm with the wide receivers.
“The more you play with him (Harris), the more he understands how you’re running routes and you can see him coming together as goes where it’s like man he’s not missing any throws now because he’s starting to get how everyone is running routes, getting on the same page as everybody and it’s just there, timing is just amazing and pretty much any route we run, the ball is there and we pretty much have to catch it.”
It remains to be seen how many snaps Harris, Wieneke and the rest of the first-string offence will play against Winnipeg, but the Maple Grove, Minnesota product is excited about competing in some live-game action.
After playing against the Blue Bombers, the receiver plans on supporting his teammates when he watches the rest of the game from the sidelines.
“It’s great group of guys, great receiving room and I’m excited to watch them play and excited to get out there and play.”
Wieneke and Harris officially joined the Roughriders when free agency began in February, but the receiver had a prior inkling the pair would be playing together in Saskatchewan. Earlier in the off-season, during a conference for church, Wieneke shared his vision with Harris of the two of them playing together with the green and white.
“I told him, man I’m going to Sask. I hadn’t even talked to Sask. really, I talked to them last year in free agency so I was hoping they would reach back out and but I was like we’re going to Sask. and he just laughed it off and was like okay and it’s pretty cool to actually think it started to come together and it really happened, it is pretty special and this is definitely where I want to be and to even just the place to grow as a player, as a man, with our family , everything, it’s just an amazing organization so I’m glad to be part of it.”
The Roughriders receiver will soon join his quarterback in an exclusive club by welcoming his third child with his wife, Brenda. Meanwhile, Harris and his wife, Kalie, recently celebrated the arrival of their third child.
Wieneke appreciates everything that Brenda and Kalie provide away from the field.
“They’re so amazing, I can talk about them and what they can do all-day and the joy they do it with, they do it all with grace, it’s a tough job, being a mom and being busy with newborns, being pregnant, delivering babies, having little kids, but they do it with grace, they do it with joy, so grateful for them, and definitely want to emulate them as well.”
Coverage for tomorrow’s game begins on 620 CKRM at 3:30 with Countdown to Kickoff. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 6:30.
